Redemption
by Efli
Summary: Seven years after the Wutai war, Tseng is given an assignment that brings back old memories. Meanwhile, someone is killing Turks, and the enemy comes from an unexpected quarter. The sequel to Rebellion, please R/R
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
Tseng looked out over the rooftops of Midgar. In the five years since the Wutai war, he had grown into the blue suit. He'd become one of the most respected and senior of the Turks, for one simple reason.  
  
He survived.  
  
Being a Turk was a dangerous job, so if you could keep your head when all about you are losing theirs (often in interesting and violent ways), then you'd go far. And Tseng had. He was now a 'Field Leader', second only to Moore. 'A long way from Hojo's dogsbody. Even further from being cannon fodder on the fields of Wutai.'  
  
Footsteps behind him jerked him out of his reverie. "Admiring the view Tseng?"  
  
Tseng turned to see David Moore, the leader of the Turks. "Not really, just thinking."  
  
"Do your thinking on your own time Field Leader. The great professor Hojo has a job for us."  
  
Tseng winced. "What is it this time? Another kidnapping?" Moore nodded. "Get someone else to do it then."  
  
Moore frowned. "When I said 'us', I meant us. The bastard specifically asked for you and me."  
  
Tseng sighed. "Let's find out what he wants then."  
  
They walked up to Hojo's laboratory in silence. Moore finally said, "We've been asked to work with one of the new Turks. One of the president's blue-eyed-boys."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"His name's Reno."  
  
"That young redhead?"  
  
"That's the one. He's impulsive, but he's bright. He could go far."  
  
"Well, as long as he won't get in the way."  
  
"He seems to have the most sense of the new lot. Initiative too, which is rare enough nowadays. He actually reminds me of you Tseng."  
  
"That good?" Tseng asked with a grin.  
  
"And that's why you'll never be a sniper Tseng."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"That head of yours is just too big a target."  
  
Tseng barked a laugh "What about the rest of the newbies? What are the odds in the office?"  
  
Moore closed his eyes, trying to remember. "Not that bad actually. Apart from Mathews, 10 will get you one that he doesn't last the month."  
  
The two Turks carried on in silence. They reached Hojo's lab and went inside.  
  
***  
  
"Ah Moore, Tseng. Come in."  
  
The wiry little scientist always put Tseng in mind of a rat, with his sharp nose and beady eyes. To one side was Reno, a young redhead whose blue suit was slightly to big for him.  
"Reno, these are Field Leader Tseng and Turks Leader Moore. Moore, Tseng, this is one of our bright young stars, Reno."  
  
Reno, looking about to swallow his tongue, threw a sloppy salute. "Er, sirs. Erm, pleased to be working with you sirs."  
  
Tseng gave him a terse nod, but Moore shook him warmly by the hand with a direction to "Get a smaller suit."  
  
Hojo looked amused, and left Reno stammering for a few minutes. Finally he got up, drew some sheets out his desk, and handed them to the Turks.  
Moore looked down at the sheets, but Hojo was already talking.  
"You may or may not be aware that roughly seven years ago, during the Wutai war, we captured two Cetra. A mother and daughter. Sadly, Professor Gast lost his life in the capture."  
  
"A great shame to lose such a great scientist." Moore said.  
  
Hojo nodded "It was a sad day for ShinRa." His eyes said something else though. Satisfaction. Tseng made a mental note to look up the field reports for the capture.  
  
"Unfortunately, both Cetra escaped with one of our most valuable recovered Ancient artifacts into the slums. We didn't know what happened to them after that, until now. Apparently, the mother died, and a woman waiting for her husband to come back from the front line found the daughter at the station."  
  
Tseng pushed a few buttons on his desk, and the face of a young woman came up on the screen.  
"This is the Cetra, ten years on. We've managed to find out who adopted her. The woman's name was Elmyra Gainsborough…yes Tseng?"  
  
Tseng regained his composure. It couldn't be, not after all these years, it was impossible, it couldn't be. A voice came back from seven years ago "I've got a daughter I haven't even seen yet." It was. The daughter of a man he had murdered, he knew it was murder in his heart, however his head tried to justify it.  
  
"Tseng?"  
  
"I'm fine sir. Just had a…a funny turn."  
  
Everyone was looking at him strangely, but Hojo carried on.  
"The girl's name is Aeris Gainsborough. It's your job to find her, and bring her here in tact. I do not want this specimen damaged, understood."  
  
"Understood sir." Moore said, doing his best to keep his voice neutral.  
  
"Good. I'll make sure all files on her and her adopted family are available, and I'll expect a status report from you in three days time. Erm…dismissed."  
  
Moore saluted sharply and walked out, Tseng and Reno following him. After Reno had gone his own way, Moore took Tseng to one side.  
"Are you sure you're okay with this mission? I can find a replacement, god knows it's easy enough to find one with these rookies flooding in."  
  
"No, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? I'm fine."  
  
Moore gave him a sceptical glance and walked off, while Tseng turned his gaze again over the rooftops of Midgar. 'I'm fine. Oh gods, I murdered him. I took that little girl's father away. How can I live with myself?'  
  
"How can any Turks live with themselves?" Tseng did not realise he had been speaking out loud until he heard the deep, rich voice of Sephiroth behind him. He turned and bowed slightly.  
  
"Great General."  
  
"No need to call me that Tseng, we're not in Wutai any more. Job getting on top of you?"  
  
"Something like that. Hojo's new job for us."  
  
Sephiroth's mouth curled in disgust. "A poor excuse for a scientist. Gast was twice the professor he is."  
  
"You knew professor Gast?"  
  
"Yes, he was a…friend of mine when I was growing up. Of course, after he left ShinRa and moved to the Northern Continent ShinRa wouldn't recognize any of his research. That's why Hojo's credited with as much as he is."  
  
Tseng's brow furrowed in confusion. "But if he left ShinRa how was he killed in the capture of the Ancient?"  
  
Sephiroth put a finger to his lips, pointed to his ear, and then to the wall. Tseng understood. 'Can't talk. Bugs.' ShinRa didn't officially bug it's HQ, but anyone who reached the upper ranks of ShinRa had both a healthy level of paranoia, and a profound scepticism in anything ShinRa said 'officially'. "You'd have to look through the records for that." Sephiroth said once he was sure Tseng understood.  
  
"Thank you Great General." Tseng said with a smile. Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind. He shook his head and walked off. 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
Midgar; the Mako metropolis, the jewel of cities. The city lay nestled on the north coast of the eastern continent, glowing a bright Mako green. From above, it looked like the largest emerald ever to grace the world. Inside Midgar, however, things seem quite different. The despair fills the atmosphere as much as the fumes of the ever burning Mako reactors. The glow from the streetlights reflects off the pall of pollution that lies over the city, bathing the streets in a leprous glow that seems to fit with the rotten nature of the city. Below the plate, things are even worse. The eyes of the people are the eyes of people without hope, and they are deep set in pale faces that have never seen cities. Midgar is no emerald; it's a carbuncle.  
  
***  
  
Aeris Gainsborough picked her way through the streets of Sector 5, a bunch of wilting flowers tucked under one arm. Most of them had sold quickly up above the plate, but there was one bunch left. Maybe she'd give them to her mother. Or maybe she'd give them to Zack, to brighten up his bleak room in the SOLDIER barracks. 'Yes, I'll give them to Zack. He's starting to get a bit homesick again. These might cheer him up."  
  
She walked on, lost in thought, and didn't notice the gang surrounding her until they spoke.  
"Oi, flower girl."  
  
Aeris looked up, only then realizing where she'd come. This part of Sector 5 was the territory of the Dukes, one of the many gangs that infested the slums. The leader stepped out from a ruined house, and grinned, baring teeth that were sharpened to points.  
"Ya got any money flower girl? Or materia?"  
  
She looked around in terror. Dukes were coming out of every corner, surrounding her. Many of them, like the leader, had teeth sharpened to spikes, and they were leering widely at her. She managed to stammer "N..no. I haven't g..got any m..m..money."  
  
"Well ain't that a pity. 'Cos you see, this is our 'ome. And it ain't polite to just come bargin' in people's 'omes, is it flower girl? So, we're feelin' a bit 'ard done by, so ya 'ave to pay a toll, right?"  
  
One of the gang members leered even wider "Why don' we make her pay another way, eh Deegan?"  
  
The leader grinned. "Funny enough Verm, I was just thinking that myself. I'm sure we'll think of somethin'"  
  
Aeris backed against a wall as the gang closed in on her, frozen in terror.  
"Hey! Get off her!" a voice came out of nowhere, and she silently said a prayer of thanks to any nearby spirits, since surely one of them must have been watching over her.  
  
Deegan turned, drawing a wicked looking hooked knife. "An' 'oo's gonna make me?"  
  
"Me." Tseng stepped out of the shadows, followed by two ShinRa MPs. "ShinRa wants her, so I'd advise you to step away. Now." His voice remained flat and emotionless, but his knuckles were white on the handle of his pistol.  
  
Deegan bared his teeth, and waved the dagger at the rest of the gang. They put their weapons back into the various sheathes and holsters they came from. The Dukes ran back into the ruined buildings, Deegan with one last hateful glance at Tseng over his shoulder.  
  
Tseng relaxed his grip on his pistol, and gave Aeris a dazzling smile. "You shouldn't walk these streets, a nice girl like you. There's dangerous people about." 


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two   
  
Field Leader Graham Crole took a last drag of his cigarette before regretfully stubbing it out. Leaning out of the alleyway, he looked cautiously around. Still no sign of his contact.   
  
'Probably somewhere warm, having a nice drink and a smoke,' he thought ruefully. 'Don't blame the bastard. No one sane would be out in this weather.'   
  
He felt in his pocket for his cigarette case. He took one out, and groped in his pocket for his lighter.   
  
'What did they used to say in Wutai?' he thought as his fingers closed around a hard silver shape. 'The snipers look for smokers.' He took it out and, lit it and held it up to his face, cupping it with his hands. 'And if you used the same light for three fags…first light, spotted, second light, aim, third light…'   
  
The 'pop' of a silenced weapon sounded in the alley, and Crole fell onto the wet pavement of the street, dead before he hit the ground.   
  
***   
  
"Mom, I'm home."  
  
Elmyra turned and smiled as Aeris came in. "Did you…"   
  
"Don't mind me." Tseng walked in, his hands in the pockets of his blue suit.   
  
"Er…Tseng…er…he kinda…rescued me, mom."   
  
"Rescued?" Elmyra looked up at Tseng, alarm in her voice.   
  
Tseng nodded gravely. "I'm afraid your daughter wandered into the territory of one of the slums gangs. I believe they call themselves 'Dukes'. I happened to be passing by."   
  
Elmyra said stiffly. "Thank you. Would you like a drink of something?"   
  
Tseng shook his head, and hesitated before saying, "Actually Ms. Gainsborough, I was coming to visit you anyway. It's about your daughter."   
  
Elmyra stared and slowly let go of her daughter. "What about my daughter?"   
  
"We…that is, ShinRa…we want you to return Aeris to us. We've been searching for a long time."   
  
"No," Aeris whispered, backing closer to the door, "never."   
  
Tseng moved over to the door and sat down beside it. He picked up a photo of a man in uniform. He blanched and set it down as if it were burning. Shaking his head, he turned back to Aeris. "You're of a very special blood Aeris. Your real mother was what we call an 'Ancient' Your mother, unfortunately, died before she had a proper chance to help ShinRa. You see, ShinRa just wants to help her people, and the Ancients will lead us to supreme happiness." He leaned forward. "You're able to bring happiness to all the people in the slums. All your friends and neighbours Aeris."   
  
Aeris moved towards the door "I'm not an Ancient…I can't be." Her eyes darted from Tseng to Elmyra. "You're lying. I can't be. I'm not!" she screamed, and leapt for the door.   
  
Tseng stood up to intercept her, but she ran past him and out into the slums. The door slowly banged closed behind her.   
  
Elmyra stared at Tseng. "Get out of my house." She said in a flat voice. "Don't ever come here again."   
  
Tseng shook his head. "It won't do any good. ShinRa will get her in the end. ShinRa always gets what it was. I'd have thought you'd have learned that with your husband."   
  
"What do you know about Richard?"   
  
"He was a fine general, and an honourable man. ShinRa doesn't have many of them. Goodbye Ms. Gainsborough." 


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
"Field Leader Tseng." He looked up to see one of the new Turks, a tall man with a shaven head, standing in the door. "Turk Leader Moore and General Sephiroth want to see you sir."  
  
Tseng sighed and put the paperwork to one side. "Rude, isn't it?" the newbie nodded. "Well, go and tell Moore I'm coming." Rude walked back the way he came.  
  
Tseng sighed again and shrugged his jacket on. As if he didn't have enough on his plate with this Gainsborough thing.  
  
***  
  
"Ah, Tseng, good to see you." Sephiroth greeted him as he walked into Moore's office.  
  
"General." Tseng nodded a greeting and looked over to Moore. He was sitting at his desk, turning his poniard over in his hands. Tseng stood there in silence for a moment, and Moore just sat there, turning the dagger over and over. Finally he spoke, his voice hoarse with pain and anger.  
  
"Crole died last night Tseng."  
  
"Crole?" Tseng sank back into his chair. "What happened?"  
  
Moore looked up, his eyes sunken and dead. "He was murdered Tseng. Shot in the back of a head like…like an animal."  
  
Tseng gaped, stunned. "But…who? Why?"  
  
Moore shook his head wordlessly and looked back down at the dagger slowly turning in his hands. Sephiroth got up and removed a red file from Moore's desk. Flipping it open to the last page, he handed it to Tseng. Tseng looked down at a grainy photograph of man standing on the platform of Sector 8 Station.  
  
"That is Airgad Stanidge. He's a member of Green Planet, a revolutionary group based in Sector 8." Sephiroth reached for an identical file and flipped through the pages while he spoke. "Stanidge approached one of our operatives last week about the possibility of spying for us. For the right price, of course."  
  
"Obviously." Tseng muttered, flipping through the pages on Green Planet. An average group, started in Gongaga. Wanted to bring down ShinRa, save the planet… 'yada, yada, yada. Seen it all before. And better done, too…'  
  
"Crole was sent to talk with him. He's had experience in this area before."  
  
Tseng chucked the papers back down on the desk. There was nothing in them. It was a small time operation… Tseng frowned. "Why were you so eager to have him? This Green Planet hasn't even got weapons, according to that."  
  
Moore sat up and flung a black file over at Tseng. "Well according to this, they have!" The file scattered across the office floor. A photograph drifted out, a stark black and white image of Crole's head, with a clean hole at the base of his skull. Dried blood, grey in the monochrome picture, stained the old man's white hair. Moore threw the dagger across the room, where it buried itself, quivering, in the wall. Moore looked back to Tseng. "I'm taking you off the Gainsborough case, Tseng. You should never have been put on it in the first place. Reno can cover for you. If there's someone in this group skilled enough to take down someone as experienced as Crole, I want them found, and I want them eliminated. As painfully as possible. Dismissed."  
  
Tseng, his eyes still fixed on the knife that was still quivering in the wall, nodded slightly and walked out.  
  
***  
  
"I thought I'd find you here."  
  
Tseng turned away from the window to see Sephiroth stood in the door to the balcony. Tseng shrugged. "Why did you want me?"  
  
Sephiroth walked out onto the narrow steel walkway and joined Tseng, leaning on the railings and looking out over Midgar. The general stood in silence, but finally spoke. "Crole was Moore's year mate Tseng. They entered the ShinRa guards together, they were chosen for the Turks together. They graduated to Full Turk status within a week of each other. We nearly had the first joint Turk Leaders. For Crole to be taken down like that…well, it's hit Moore hard."  
  
Tseng nodded slowly. "Thanks general." He turned and walked back down the walkway when a thought struck him. "General?"  
  
Sephiroth looked back over to Tseng. "Yes?"  
  
"Just in case this is bigger than some third rate revolutionaries…could you have a quiet guard put around Moore? And class C security round our floor."  
  
Sephiroth nodded slowly "I'll see what I can do Tseng. So you think this is more to do with Crole being a Turk than him being ShinRa?"  
  
Tseng paused as he reached the door. "I don't know what it is Sephiroth. All I know is that something feels…wrong about this." 


End file.
